Some games stand the test of time. It’s funny to see titles released in the 2010s already look or feel awful when playing them today. Pac-Man, however, is still just as enjoyable as it was upon launch in 1980. Bandai Namco released a collection of games from the series in an anthology that might be worth picking up if you’re a long-time fan. Casual players might want to peek at the list of titles included before making their decision. Let’s talk about the new collection in this Pac-Man Museum + review.

A lot of recent Pac-Man releases come to us in the form of an anthology. This latest release is no exception. Pac-Man Museum + is a mix of the arcade releases and console entries in the yellow icon’s gameography. The selling point here is 14 titles in the series but there are a few extra perks. You’ll unlock games in the form of digital arcade cabinets to fill in your own personal arcade. By playing two sessions of a single Pac-Man game, you’ll unlock another. While doing so, you’ll also have access to in-game currency, Coins, that buy décor for your arcade.

Nobody’s pretending this is an Animal Crossing-level decorator, but it’s a nice touch to mix in with the straightforward arcade action. The gashapon capsule machines are also fun, even if they’re just a tiny addition to the experience. I think for a lot of people, there’s a bit of a losing situation here. Bandai Namco can give us a menu screen with the games or an interface like this. I’ve seen complaints online about the arcade component being a waste and others say it’s not detailed and complex enough. I’m in the camp of people who just want to play Pac-Man, but it was fun moving cabinets and décor around my arcade to make it look like I wanted.

You’ll find an eclectic mix of games in the collection here, including:

•         Pac-Man (1980)
•         Super Pac-Man (1982)
•         Pac & Pal (1983)
•         Pac-Land (1984)
•         Pac-Mania (1987)
•         Pac-Attack (SNES Version; 1993)
•         Pac-In-Time (SFC Version; 1995)
•         Pac-Man Arrangement (1996)
•         Pac-Man Arrangement (2005)
•         Pac-Man Championship Edition (2007)
•         Pac-Motos (2007)
•         Pac ‘n Roll Remix (2007)
•         Pac-Man Battle Royale (2011)
•         Pac-Man 256 (console version; 2016)
• 

Of course, a few notable entries are missing. Ms. Pac-Man isn’t included because Bandai Namco doesn’t own the rights to that title. It’s an interesting odyssey of IP law and copyright that we won’t get into here. They also don’t include the Pac-Man World games here. Those were the late-90s/early-00s 3D platformers that are actually quite good. Still, 14 games should be enough to keep you busy. Some are worth skipping (seriously, what the hell is going on in Pac-Land?). The real gems here include Pac-Man, Pac-Man Championship Edition, Pac-Mania, and Pac n’ Role Remix.

While the controls on these games don’t feel as good as playing an arcade cabinet, I’m happy to have them in my games library. It’s a bit of a treasure trove of video gaming that you can’t overlook. In a way, Pac-Man is still underrated to this day despite being well known to generation after generation. The simplicity and joy of the original game cannot be beaten in classic gaming.

That said, I can’t tell if touting 14 games is worth some of these being boring and unenjoyable for this Pac-Man Museum + review. Would cutting this down to 9 games hurt sales? Also, could they have thrown in one of the Pac-Man World games to mix things up? It’s hard to say, but I’m happy to keep this one digital for the Switch. When I feel the itch for some Pac action, I can boot it up and quench that thirst.

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Pac-Man Museum +

$19.99

6

Score

6.0/10

Pros

• Large Collection of Games
• Fun Interactive Arcade Area

Cons

• Missing Major Entries in the Games
• Some of These Are Just Not Fun